Camco Eaz-Lift Fifth Wheel to Gooseneck Adapter, 12 in Height

The Camco gooseneck adapter does one job and does it cleanly. It takes a standard fifth-wheel trailer and lets you tow it off a gooseneck ball instead. No cutting, no welding, no permanent changes to the trailer. You bolt the adapter to the king pin box, and where you used to have a fifth-wheel king pin you now have a coupler that drops onto a 2-5/16 inch gooseneck ball. This is the 12-inch height version, so the trailer sits at a set ride height rather than adjusting up and down.

Why would you want to do this? Plenty of reasons. A lot of work trucks and ranch trucks already run a bed-mounted gooseneck ball for stock trailers, flatbeds, and equipment haulers. If that's your truck, a gooseneck adapter means you don't have to buy and mount a separate fifth-wheel hitch just to pull a camper. One ball, two kinds of trailers. And because a gooseneck ball folds down or pops out of the bed, you get your whole truck bed back when you're not towing. That's a big deal if you haul gear, firewood, or dirt bikes during the week and tow the camper on weekends.

The adapter mounts to the trailer's existing king pin box, the same box that carries the fifth-wheel king pin from the factory. It fits most standard pin boxes, and it uses a 2-5/16 inch coupler, which is the common gooseneck ball size on nearly every gooseneck hitch out there. Once it's bolted on, hooking up is the same routine you already know. Back up, drop the coupler on the ball, latch it, chain it, and plug in the lights.

Install is straightforward for anyone comfortable with a wrench. You're bolting the adapter to the pin box, torquing the hardware, and checking your work. There's no drilling into the frame and no welding, which matters if you'd rather not deal with a shop. And it's reversible. If you sell the truck or go back to a fifth-wheel hitch down the road, you unbolt the adapter and the trailer is right back to stock.

Because this is the fixed 12-inch model, it's a good fit when your truck and trailer already sit at heights that work together. Measure your setup before you buy so the trailer rides level once it's on the ball. A level trailer tows straighter, wears its tires evenly, and puts the brakes and suspension where the builder intended. If your bed rail height and trailer height leave you riding high or low, that's worth sorting out up front rather than on the road.

One honest word on matching it to your rig. A gooseneck adapter raises the coupler point and changes how the load sits, so before you tow, check that your trailer's pin weight and gross weight fall within the adapter's rating and within your truck and ball ratings. Heavy fifth-wheels put real load on that connection. If your camper is on the big side, or you're not sure what your loaded pin weight runs, weigh it and read the numbers before you hit the highway. Do that once and you tow with confidence.

Like any hitch part, it pays to keep an eye on it. Grease the ball so the coupler turns smoothly, check the mounting hardware after your first few trips and then a couple of times a season, and give the coupler latch a look before every tow. None of it is hard. It's the same care you'd give any coupler, and it keeps the whole connection tight and quiet for years.

Who's this for? Owners who already have a gooseneck ball in the bed and don't want a second hitch. Anyone who wants their truck bed clear during the week. Folks moving a fifth-wheel camper with a truck that's already set up for farm or flatbed trailers. Who's it not for? If you don't have a gooseneck ball and never plan to add one, a standard fifth-wheel hitch is the simpler path. And always confirm your loaded weights first. Used within its ratings and installed right, this Camco adapter is a clean, no-nonsense way to run one truck for two kinds of trailers.